


Priorities

by variableIntroversion



Series: After The End Of The World [11]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Cuddling, Dirk has some unhealthy coping mechanisms, Incest, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, Sibling Incest, pov switching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 06:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21423931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/variableIntroversion/pseuds/variableIntroversion
Summary: You wake up to a quiet, empty room in a quiet, empty penthouse.
Relationships: Auto-Responder | Lil Hal & Dirk's Bro | Alpha Dave Strider, Dirk's Bro | Alpha Dave Strider/Dirk Strider
Series: After The End Of The World [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1528694
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	Priorities

You wake up to a quiet, empty room in a quiet, empty penthouse. Outside, the sounds of the city seem nonexistent, unable to reach so high up. You find yourself staring out the window for minutes on end, barely moving a muscle, looking out over the buildings and streetlights. 

Some days, it feels like the whole world is some kind of liminal space. As if you're in limbo, in a dream that you don't want to wake up from but inevitably will. You always dread the prospect of waking up. Of blinking your eyes open and hearing the cry of seagulls, of opening your window and smelling salt, seeing miles and miles of blue and knowing, without a doubt, that you're completely alone again.

It gets worse on nights like tonight, when your foggy mind replays the vague remnants of a timeline that no longer matters. Snapshots of colorful clutter and planetary debris, like a hundred jigsaw puzzles scattered across the floor. The undeniable end of several worlds. Almost every person you've ever cared about, could have cared about, gone. 

Of all the things you could have nightmares of, it had to be the last miserable memories of one of your splinters.

You finally pull yourself away from the window, because the city is going to get no more or less real the longer you look at it. Staying in your bedroom is unappealing. So is wandering an apartment with nobody there. Hal left for 'something' that he wasn't specific about, and D had to stay late for work. Which means that he'll just fall asleep in whatever room passes for an office on-location and come home after work the following day. Or, today's evening, depending on how you wanted to phrase things.

Regardless, staying alone in your room is slightly less appealing than wandering the rest of the penthouse. Even after three years, it's a foreign environment to you. Something separate from the desolate apartment you grew up in. It grounds you, as much as it further dissociates you from reality.

Admitting that you're lonely feels pretty undignified. You're almost twenty years old, you can handle a day or two in an empty house. It's just that you don't particularly want to. At all. You hate being alone, as much as spending time with too many people still overwhelms you sometimes. That being said, you don't open Pesterchum on your shades. It's nearly five in the morning, and the chances of anyone else being online are slim. Maybe Roxy is. She was always a morning person, and talking to her usually makes you feel better, just...

You aren't in the mood for text conversations. When you're in this head space, it feels too similar to how it was back then, when that was your only connection to other people. Right now you just want another person physically nearby, but that isn't much of an option currently. 

No, you'll just weather this like you always have. It sure as hell wouldn't be the first time, and you would bet anything that it won't be the last. D will be back tonight, in all likelihood. And even if he isn't, maybe you'll just see if someone is up to hang out later today. At a reasonable hour. Assuming anyone really has any interest in spending time with you. Until then, you can occupy yourself like the big kid you are.

~ * ~

\-- technologicalTectonics [TT] began pestering theatricallyGallant [TG] at 06:14 --

TT: Rise and shine, bro.  
TG: jegus fuck hal did you seriously remotely up my phone volume for that  
TT: I plead the fifth.  
TG: yeah sure as if we both dont know  
TG: anyways not that im not happy to talk with you but i fell asleep like two hours ago  
TG: so unless this is important id like to get in those last fifteen minutes of zees before i have to get back to work  
TT: As a matter of fact. It seems my dear creator has begun slipping into one of his depressive spirals again.  
TT: He got up at 4:56 AM after approximately ninety-eight minutes of sleep over the past twenty-seven hours. He's since failed to eat anything, begun a MLP marathon, and is sitting on the floor with a new robotics project.  
TT: There is a high probability that something is significantly upsetting him, and an even higher probability that he will do approximately jack shit to remedy it.  
TT: ...  
TT: Still there, bro?  
TG: yeah sorry  
TG: thanks for telling me ill get right on that  
TG: are you doing ok?  
TT: An actual punctuation mark? I'm flattered.  
TG: as you should be  
TG: now answer the question  
TT: I'm doing just fine. Fortunately for me, my mental state does not regularly reflect Dirk's.  
TG: ok good  
TG: but like  
TG: text me if there is ever something wrong, alright?  
TG: youre my kid too  
TT: While factually incorrect, the sentiment is touching nonetheless. I'll keep that in mind.  
TG: fuck factual correctness youre my kid  
TT: Duly noted, dad.  
TG: what no wait  
TT: Sorry, would you prefer "daddy"?  
TG: absolutely fucking not  
TG: i changed my mind youre disowned  
TT: I believe that makes me the record holder for the world's briefest stint as an adopted child.  
TT: I would like to thank my dad, of which I am lacking. My mother, whom I have never had in any capacity. And my creator, who continues to have a mental breakdown as we speak.  
TG: shit yeah i gotta go  
TG: ill readopt you later maybe

\-- theatricallyGallant [TG] has ceased pestering technologicalTectonics [TT] at 06:23 --

You'll readopt Hal without question later, but right now you've got some stuff to handle. First things first is to finish cancelling all of your obligations for the next twenty-four hours, with leeway to push it to forty-eight if you need to. You're gonna catch hell for it later, but hell can suck it. 

Next is to look up restaurants that'll be open at this hour as you walk. If you've gotta, you can heat up a frozen dinner at home, but you'd rather get Dirk fed ASAP if Hal wasn't exaggerating. Conveniently enough, 24-hour places are still a thing on Earth C (in part probably thanks to the trolls, and that's one of the few things about their presence that you'll be thankful for), so you manage to pick up some grub before you head home. 

The penthouse is dark, when you walk in. The blinds haven't been drawn and no lights have been turned on, save for the glow casting off the TV. You make sure not to make a sound as you come in, or when you flash-step closer to get a look at what Dirk's been doing from his blind spot. Not a hard spot to get to when the kid's hunched over like Gollum with his back to the door.

Bits of machinery and tools are scattered around him, looking messy even beyond the usual "system" that he swears he has in place. MLP is indeed playing on the TV, but it sure doesn't look like your lil' bro's paying attention. He's working on what might be a robotic leg with the slow persistency you'd expect from a zombie. Granted, a very advanced zombie, but your point stands.

"Your food's go- hOLy shit." In hindsight, you should have known better than to startle him, but the sword swinging at your face is still pretty fucking unexpected. Thankfully you've trained your reflexes for the unexpected, and your own katana intercepts his before it can take a chunk out of you.

You both stare at each other for a few seconds without changing positions, weapons locked but not straining against each other. Dirk's looking pretty startled, despite what you're guessing is a reflexive grab for a poker face. You aren't sure how good your own is doing, but you don't really care at this point. 

"So are we gonna keep pointing swords at each other, or are we gonna eat before the food gets cold?" You ask, lifting a couple of paper bags and gently shaking them for emphasis. Dirk's face is perfectly blank again, which is kind of worrying since he doesn't usually _do_ that around you nowadays, and his sword vanishes into his Deck in a blink.

"Sorry." He says. You would doubt the sincerity of that word for how little inflection it's delivered with, if you were speaking with just about anyone else. As it is, you're content to shrug and just hop onto the couch, banishing your own weapon so you don't tear the upholstery. 

"Nah, don't worry about it. My bad for sneaking up on you." You wait for Dirk to get off the floor and join you, but he's just sorta sitting there and...well, your best educated guess is getting lost in his head. So you set aside the bags, grab him under the arms, and drag him up next to you to the tune of his monotonic complaints. "Nope, not hearing it. Breakfast and cuddle time."

"Dude." He _sounds_ irritated, but you caught that happy lip-twitch. 

You drop the bag you're pretty sure his burger is in onto his lap and try not to look too self satisfied when he gives in and goes for the food. That's your cue to snag your own and settle in. You're lucky you've mastered the trick to unwrapping fast food one-handed, 'cause you're pretty damn comfortable with your arm around Dirk's shoulders. A little spilled lettuce isn't gonna make you move. 

It's only once you've both finished eating and leaned back to watch Sparkledash or whoever running around that Dirk speaks again. "So, don't mistake this as a complaint, but why the sudden breakfast date? You're usually at work by now." 

"It's just one'a those off days, you know? Didn't wanna do shit, would rather be home hanging out. Can actually have that luxury now that like, my whole career and the world doesn't hang off of tight production schedules and shit." The smile you flash him is easygoing and honest, even if you aren't exactly telling the truth. Or more, lying by omission. He doesn't need to work himself into an unnecessary guilt spiral knowing you ditched work just to see him. 

Thankfully, Dirk seems to take you at your word for once. He nods along and, if you aren't imagining things, leans a bit more against your side. You squeeze his shoulders either way, cause fuck but do you ever love him, and you hope he knows that. He better know that. You suck at saying it, and from minimal past experience, he's kinda bad at hearing it. For all their linguistic mastery, Striders really fall flat at verbalizing shit. Better to show than tell when it comes to the mushy stuff.

That just means it's time to adjust your grip on Dirk and go horizontal. He lifts a questioning eyebrow at you, but you just answer that with a kiss. It doesn't really explain anything, but he seems perfectly happy with accepting it. And perpetuating it. Fine by you, cuddling and macking on each other is an A-plus way to spend a morning. Even when the macking part of the equation gives way to straight cuddling, it's great.

Still, you aren't oblivious to the way Dirk's kind of gripping your shirt, where he's got his arms around you. Or how he doesn't even seem interested in his usual fidgeting or tinkering while you two watch the show. Like all of that energy he usually puts into keeping his hands busy has gone into keeping you close instead, as subtle as he's trying to be with it. 

Maybe you've been spending too much time at work. Definitely-maybe, actually. Who are you kidding when the most independent guy you know is low-key clinging to you like a koala? You should really cut back on your hours. At least make sure you get home every night so you can spend a little more time with him. Yeah, that's on the list. And tomorrow. You're taking tomorrow off, no questions asked. Hell can not only suck it, but it can shove it, too. You've got priorities, and Dirk is your greatest one.


End file.
